Union Pacific Rail Road, 1864-1880

Overview

Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR) connected with Central Pacific in May 1869 at Promontory, Utah. UP lines in Kansas and Colorado were purchased from predecessor companies.

Union Pacific Railway (UPRy) had been incorporated in January 1880 as a consolidation of the original Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR) (chartered in 1862), the Kansas Pacific Railway, and the Denver Pacific Railway & Telegraph Co.

Union Pacific Railroad (UP) operated all UP lines in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming, and into Ogden in northern Utah. UP was incorporated in July 1897 as a reorganization of Union Pacific Railway, which was in receivership since 1893.

Timeline

July 1, 1862 -- Union Pacific Rail Road was incorporated by an act of the U. S. Congress.

September 2, 1862 -- The "Board of Commissioners of the Union Pacific Rail Road and Telegraph Company" met in Chicago to organize the company and choose its officers.

October 30, 1863 -- The company was formally organized in New York City at the first meeting of its Board of Directors and officers.

December 12, 1863 -- Ground was broken at Omaha, Nebraska Territory.

March 1864 -- Grading started at Omaha.

July 2, 1864 -- Limits of the company were changed by an amendment to the original act of Congress.

July 2, 1864
President Lincoln approved the changes to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. (Building The Pacific Railway, by Edwin L. Sabin, 1919, page 89)

August 1864 -- Herbert M. Hoxie was awarded the first construction contract; numerous delays due to incompetence, corruption and lack of funds.

September 1864 -- Without construction having begun, the first five UPRR locomotives were delivered in August and September 1864; two were sold by the end of 1864 as surplus; the remaining three were later sold to the construction contractor and re-purchased in 1867 at an inflated price as part of the Credit Mobilier scandal.

December 19, 1864
Union Pacific sold three locomotives to H. M. Hoxie; all three were sold back to Union Pacific in April 1867.

Mid July 1865 -- The first locomotive was operated on Union Pacific. (Condensed History of the Construction of the Union Pacific Railway, by Joseph Nichols, 1892, pages 81-82; Google Books)

(Research in Omaha newspapers will better identify the first day of operation.)

September 1865 -- A newspaper item dated September 22, 1865 showed that there were four locomotives being used by Union Pacific, along with "30 platform cars, 4 or 5 box freight cars, several passenger cars,..." (The Illustrated History of Nebraska, 1906, page 107, Google Books)

September 22, 1865
"The first 10 miles of track west from Omaha was opened for service." (Update Line, Union Pacific Communications Department, September 25, 1997, "This Week In UP History")

October 20, 1865
"Pacific Railroad Excursion -- Pursuant to invitation extended us by Mr. Thomas Durant, we, in company with a considerable number of our prominent citizens, this morning, took a trip up the Pacific Road as far as track is laid, with a view to an observation of the progress thus far made in this great work of national importance. The occasion was doubtless suggested by the presence of General Sherman in our midst, and who accompanied the party. A platform car, gaily decorated with national emblems, was fitted up for the occasion, which, with the elegant locomotive, "General Sherman", likewise decorated with flags, made up a perfect bijou of a train. The train started at half past nine this morning, and proceeded as far as the Papillion Creek Valley, at a good rate of speed, say about fourteen miles, when the party alighted, to witness the process of laying track, and to look at the country. Before starting on the return to the city, a bountiful collation was spread for the guests of the road, and amidst the flow of champagne, General Sherman made a short and felicitous speech, in which he exemplified the great importance of the Pacific Railroad, in a national point of view, and, with the enlarged and comprehensive estimate he placed upon the work, expressed his sanguine view of its final success. Other speeches were made by Mr. George Upton, of New York; Judge William Kellogg, of our territory; his excellence, Territorial Governor Alvin Saunders, Colonel Lorin Miller, the mayor; General Heath, Colonel Gilmore; Doctor George Miller and others. The occasion was one of great interest, and, we confess to a degree of enthusiasm, as we rode, for the first time, over a railroad, in Nebraska, whose final terminus is to be the golden shores of the Pacific Ocean. The excursionists returned to the city at about two o'clock, all duly impressed with the grandeur of the great Pacific Railroad conception, and thanking Mr. Durant for a splendid opportunity afforded us in seeing with our eyes, the beginning of an end of its success." (Nebraska Republican newspaper October 20, 1865; courtesy David Seidel email dated October 19, 2015)

November 18, 1865 -- One hundred miles graded and 28 miles of rail laid. (Klein, page 70)

December 31, 1865 -- Construction was completed to Fremont, Nebraska.

January 27, 1866 -- The construction bonds for the first 40 miles were issued by the government, allowing UPRR to sell the bonds to private investors.

February 1866 -- To speed construction G. M. Dodge was named Chief Engineer and the Casement Brothers were named as tracklaying contractor.

June 2, 1866 -- Construction was completed to Columbus, Nebraska.

July 8, 1866 -- Construction was completed to Grand Island, Nebraska Territory. (Condensed History of the Construction of the Union Pacific Railway, by Joseph Nichols, 1892, page 121; Google Books)

October 5, 1866 -- Construction was completed to the 100th Meridian; a sign was erected at what was known as the symbolic beginning of the West by stating "100th MERIDIAN. 247 MILES FROM OMAHA"; the site is just west of today's Cozad, Nebraska, a town on U. S. Highway 30 and a station on the Union Pacific, as well as being a stop on the Pony Express.

December 3, 1866 -- Construction was completed 49 miles from the 100th Meridan to North Platte, Nebraska Territory (shown as milepost 284.1 in 1948); an additional 14 miles was completed to O'Fallons by year's end.

December 1866
Union Pacific sold 17 locomotives to H. M. Hoxie; all were sold back to Union Pacific in April 1867.

1866 -- A total of nine locomotives were delivered to UPRR during 1866; six as named locomotives in March through August, and three as numbered locomotives in August through October.

1867 -- A total of 37 locomotives were delivered to UPRR during 1867.

1868 -- A total of 75 locomotives were delivered to UPRR during 1868.

1869 -- A total of 22 locomotives were delivered to UPRR during 1869.

April 1867 to May 1869 -- Union Pacific construction and tracklaying crews completed 800 miles of track across Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah.

April 1, 1867 -- Construction resumed west from O'Fallons, Nebraska (Nebraska Territory became the State of Nebraska on March 1, 1867).

May 24, 1867 -- Construction was completed to Ogallala, Nebraska.

June 24, 1867 -- Construction was completed to Julesburg, Colorado.

August 29, 1867 -- Construction was completed to Kimball, Nebraska.

September 23, 1867
"Track work was completed out to Kimball, NE." (Update Line, Union Pacific Communications Department, September 25, 1997, "This Week In UP History")

(Southeastern Wyoming was part of Idaho Territory from March 1863 to December 1864 when Dakota Territory was created. Dakota Territory then included almost all of Wyoming, until Wyoming Territory was created in July 1868.)

Both the Cheyenne Leader and the Frontier Index newspapers (the latter printed in Laramie City at that time) issues of May 5, 1868, state that the first train arrived on May 4, 1868. The Cheyenne Leader put it this way, "The First Train of railway cars reached Laramie City yesterday morning and great was the rejoicing the feat..."

Additionally, both newspapers also stated that a train on May 4th had passengers aboard; the mayor of Cheyenne and five others looking for property to purchase in Laramie. It is important to note that the two papers were big boosters for their respective communities and often denigrated the other. That they agreed on the date of the arrival of the rails, therefore, is significant.

May 10, 1869 -- Last spike ceremony at Promontory, Utah Territory. (*not* at Promontory Point, which is 30 miles south of Promontory.)

After Promontory

May 11, 1869 -- Operation began between Omaha and the connection with Central Pacific Railway at Promontory, Utah Territory.

November 6, 1869 -- Construction formally completed, 1038.40 miles, Omaha to a point five miles west of Ogden, Utah.

March 22, 1872 -- Mainline extended 4.01 miles east from Omaha to Council Bluffs, Iowa, total of 1042.41 miles; final total mileage including side tracks and yard tracks as of March 22, 1872 was set at 1089.89 miles.

February 1874 -- Following a financial panic among investors in the East, and after fighting government regulators who wanted Union Pacific to start paying its debt, a New York financier by the name of Jay Gould took control of Union Pacific in its weakened state. Gould set about consolidating his interests to control both the transcontinental traffic as well and Utah and Colorado mining traffic.

May 31, 1875 -- News was announced that Jay Gould had signed traffic agreements to consolidate freight, passenger and express business on Union Pacific and Kansas Pacific Railway, and operate the two roads as a single route. (New York Times, May 31, 1875)

Disagreements and difficulties started between the controlling groups right away. Kansas Pacific connected at Denver with the Denver Pacific Railway (which KP controlled), and Denver Pacific connected with Union Pacific at Cheyenne.

March 7, 1879 -- Jay Gould and his investor associates agreed to purchase controlling interest in the Kansas Pacific Railway, which had been in receivership since November 1876. (New York Times, March 7, 1879) The KP receivership was caused by Gould when he sued for dividends due on the 35,000 shares that he owned. The control took the form of Gould making a deal with the road's bondholders to settle all their claims and guarantee payment on the bonds. (New York Times, March 9, 1879) This action came after Union Pacific and Kansas Pacific had tried several times since 1875 when Gould had controlled UP, to reach agreeable terms for rate and traffic sharing.

Union Pacific Railway Consolidation

January 24, 1880 -- Union Pacific Railroad was consolidated with Kansas Pacific Railway and Denver Pacific Railway on January 24, 1880 to form the Union Pacific Railway. Jay Gould controlled all three railroads.